Born in South Tyrol, he studied medicine in Innsbruck and Padua, completed a PhD program, and specialized in cardiology. He is the author of over 150 scientific publications and serves on the editorial boards of the European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging and the International Journal of Cardiology. Within the board of the Austrian Society of Cardiology (ÖKG), he coordinates various working groups. His scientific focus includes myocardial infarction, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and digital screening for atrial fibrillation.

What is the Austrian Digital Heart Program working on?

The Austrian Digital Heart Program (ADHP) is developing a digital strategy for the early detection and treatment of atrial fibrillation. This strategy is intended to be integrated into the Austrian healthcare system and evaluated for its clinical benefit in a study.

What exactly is atrial fibrillation – and why does it often go unnoticed?

Atrial fibrillation is the most common persistent cardiac arrhythmia in adults, affecting approximately one in three people over their lifetime. The condition often goes unnoticed because it typically causes no or only mild symptoms and tends to occur sporadically.

Why is early detection of atrial fibrillation so important?

Early diagnosis is crucial because atrial fibrillation significantly increases the risk of stroke. If the condition is detected in time, targeted preventive treatment can significantly reduce the risk of serious complications.

How can a smartphone help detect atrial fibrillation?

A smartphone is equipped with a flash and a camera. A special app uses these features to measure the pulse at the fingertip. This allows detection of irregular heart rhythms that may indicate atrial fibrillation. For a confirmed diagnosis, an ECG is required afterward.

What does digital screening actually look like – what do users need to do?

The digital screening is aimed at individuals aged 65 and older who own a smartphone and have a social insurance number. After receiving an invitation by mail and completing an online registration, participants are randomly assigned to a study group. Those in the digital group receive access to the app, which should ideally be used regularly (e.g., daily).

And what exactly do users have to do?

The process is simple: the index finger is placed on the smartphone camera for one minute. The app then generates a report on any potential irregularities. If there is suspicion of atrial fibrillation, the study team contacts the user to initiate the next steps.

The program is mainly targeted at older adults. What’s your first impression? Is the method being accepted, or are there still technical hurdles?

Our ongoing pilot study focuses specifically on these aspects. Over 100 people from the target group have already been systematically surveyed to identify potential barriers and address them through technical adjustments and supporting information. Since all participants must use their own smartphone, a basic level of digital competence already exists within the target group. Overall, we’ve observed a high level of openness toward digital health solutions – particularly the ability to easily measure one’s heart rhythm independently is met with great interest.

What sets your digital strategy apart from previous methods of detecting atrial fibrillation?

Until now, atrial fibrillation has mostly been detected during doctor visits – either during routine check-ups or when acute symptoms occur. Intermittent atrial fibrillation often remains undetected, as it may not be present during the examination. Our digital strategy addresses this gap by enabling low-threshold, self-directed, and location-independent screening at home. Another advantage is scalability and efficiency – no additional hardware is needed, as the user’s own smartphone is utilized.

What technical or medical challenges does such a population-wide project involve?

A project of this scale brings both technical and medical challenges. A stable app and secure IT infrastructure are essential to ensure users can measure reliably. Equally important is the secure collection and storage of sensitive health data in accordance with data protection regulations. To enable informed participation in the study, comprehensive and understandable information is also essential.
Despite the digital approach, we place great emphasis on personal support: a central study team is available via phone or video call. In the case of abnormal findings, participants receive close follow-up care – including result discussions and forwarding the data to their treating physicians.

In what way is the Austrian Digital Heart Program a model project for the Austrian healthcare system?

We believe the Austrian Digital Heart Program is a model for digital and preventive healthcare. The ADHP is developing a reliable digital infrastructure that will be integrated into the public healthcare system and allow older adults to independently monitor their heart health in regard to atrial fibrillation. The program aims to serve as a blueprint for how digital prevention can be implemented on a broad scale and eventually extended to other diseases.

What role does interdisciplinarity play in your project?

Interdisciplinarity is a key component of our project. The collaboration between the Austrian Institute of Technology, the Medical University of Graz, UMIT Tirol, and the Medical University of Innsbruck is essential to the project’s success. Only through joint efforts can we define realistic and shared goals – and actually achieve them.

What is your personal motivation behind this project – and what are your hopes for the future of digital heart health?

As a physician, I often see the serious consequences of atrial fibrillation that is detected too late – such as severe strokes that could have been prevented with an earlier diagnosis. Improving prevention of such complications is a major motivation behind our research project.
Digital innovations also offer the opportunity to make evidence-based preventive care more accessible and personalized – not as a replacement, but as a meaningful complement to traditional medicine. For the future, I hope that digital approaches like ours will be developed based on scientific evidence, systematically evaluated, and integrated into standard care when proven beneficial. Having the opportunity to help shape this development through funding from the Ludwig Boltzmann Society gives us additional motivation.